Peoples Bank & Trust Co. has completed the installation of solar panels on six of the bank branch buildings. The panels were installed on the branch building rooftops of the Main Bank in Troy, Troy Square, Hawk Point, O’Fallon and Elsberry and as a covered parking canopy in Bowling Green. The solar arrays development and design were customized to each building in order to optimize performance. Each array consists of solar panels, microinverters, a panel racking system and a 24-hour monitoring system.

“The decision to utilize solar energy was two-fold,” said David Thompson, President/CEO of Peoples Bank. “We have the ability to take advantage of a renewable, clean source of energy that in turn allows the bank to save on energy costs. In addition, the use of solar energy is just another way the bank can be more environmentally friendly. We’re working hard to reduce the amount of waste generated by our banks and solar power is just another step in the right direction.”

The solar panels produce electricity that is fed through the microinverter into the bank branch’s electrical system. This electricity is then used to supplement the buildings energy usage. Overall these systems will be able to generate an estimated 98,000 – 100,000 kilowatt hours annually, which is equivalent to the energy usage of 5-7 average sized homes.

The bank partnered with Synergy Energy for the solar panel installation process. Synergy Energy, a St. Louis based company, specializes in development, sales and installation of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency products. “We were really excited to work with Peoples Bank & Trust and honored to help them meet their energy reduction goals. The bank has opened a lot of doors for each of the branch communities, in the sense that they are introducing the community to this technology and showing them how they can take advantage of incentives available while enhancing the built environment around them,” said Robert Henebry, of Energy Development with Synergy Energy, LLC.

Visit www.LincolnCountyJournal.com to view a slideshow of how the solar panels were put up and David Thompson discussing the new move to save energy.